Three District 155 seniors, Sukhmani Bajaj, Cary-Grove High School, Shane Coffey, and Giada Lipkie, Crystal Lake Central High School, have been named semifinalists in the 2027 National Merit Scholarship Program. This prestigious program recognizes the top-performing high school students in the nation based on their PSAT/NMSQT scores.Over 1.2 million juniors in about 20,000 high schools entered the 2027 National Merit Scholarship Program. The nationwide pool of semifinalists, representing less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors, includes the highest-scoring entrants in each state.

Giada Lipkie is involved at Crystal Lake Central with roles on the Science Olympiad and Scholastic Bowl teams as well as being a member of the Spanish National Honor Society and the marching band. 

“They [Angela Welder and Mike Hermann] created engaging spaces where classes were fun, and you learned a lot,” said Giada Lipkie, Crystal Lake Central senior.

After high school, Giada plans to pursue a career in actuarial science. 

Shane Coffey is a member of the math team and Science Olympiad team at Crystal Lake Central. Coffey finished third in math at the Academic Challenge for Engineering and Science (ACES) state finals competition last spring. 

“I want to thank Mr. Brian Seaver, who taught AP Computer Science A. It was my favorite class at school, and he played a huge role in that,” said Shane Coffey, senior at Crystal Lake Central. 

After graduation, Shane plans to major in computer science with a minor in math. 

Sukhmani Bajaj is active in several activities at Cary-Grove, including running psychology club as the co-founder and co-president, and being a member of the National Honor Society and choir. 

“I’d like to thank Mrs. Kerri Faraj for deepening my love of languages and Mr. Tim Garis for his inspiring way of teaching,” said Sukhmani Bajaj, Cary-Grove senior.

Outside the classroom, Sukhmani wants to pursue a career in healthcare focused on youth mental health and equity with the ultimate goal of becoming a psychiatrist. She has begun this path with her involvement in the Illinois Children’s Mental Health Partnership Youth Council as one of six students selected statewide, an internship through the Northwestern Medicine Grosvenor’s Discovery Program, and the Executive Director of Strategy for CODEify, a student-led nonprofit whose mission is to expand computer science accessibility for students. 

National Merit Finalists will be announced in February, and scholarship winners will be announced in April.